Technology and machine control have taken over the construction industry and are the key factors driving earthwork efficiency. Do you want your site to run optimally? Do you want to improve the setup of your operators and in-house engineers for even more success?? If so, you should understand the differences between 2D and 3D machine control.

Work smarter, not harder! Why create more work for yourself? You can avoid wasting your time and money by purchasing bundled precision construction services!  Maximizing your investment means fully utilizing your machines. This can be achieved by pursuing heavy equipment retailers partnered with GPS modeling services.

Unlock the future of Earthwork Projects by hiring a 3D Modeler to transform your vision into reality. 3D Models showcase the intended landscape of the project, providing a lens to view the project from all angles offering precise and efficient data. Once a GPS has been purchased for heavy equipment, developing a model for the machine to run successfully is essential.

Increasingly gaining popularity in the construction industry from year to year, Mass Data capture has changed the way contractors and developers get the necessary site data for their construction projects before, during, and at project completion. Drones have proven to be an effective tool for collecting the necessary pre-construction data.

When working with GPS-enabled heavy equipment, CAD services are necessary to get the machine working. Some of the major benefits are increased accuracy, reduced waste, faster time to completion, and improved safety. ECI’s CAD Services include earthwork takeoffs, linework, 3D models, and as-builts. Each service is offered a la carte and delivered to our clients promptly to help avoid digging delays on the job site.

How do you know when to hire out and when to do it in-house? Well, like many things…it depends. When it comes to your digital modeling needs, you thankfully have options. We’ve put together a list of pros and cons to help with your decision.

Rovers have many different uses in the construction industry and elsewhere because they're small, can be attached to almost anything, and provide very accurate information about your project. Depending on which device you're connecting your rover to, the level of accuracy will vary.

We all know that computers are significant in today’s world, and its impact on the construction industry is no exception. Whether it is the computer systems that are being used to design projects or the machinery used to build them, computers are critical to the project’s success. For example, the days of designing sites using hand-drawings or blueprints are long gone, and that includes redlines of the blueprints which were replaced by As-Builts. Systems such as computer-aided designs (CAD) have taken the place of blueprints and become more sophisticated from year to year.

The primary advantage of CIM is the benefit it provides to our client partnerships. We seamlessly integrate our modeling work into their workstreams, which allows them to plan their resources and their projects most efficiently. When CIM processes are incorporated into civil engineering workflows, the result is far better than when it is not, including higher profits for contractors!

Both LIDAR and Photogrammetry share the same primary purpose: to determine the 3D relationships between other locations; however, their methods differ. Both ways accomplish their task by locating and measuring natural and people-made land features' elevations, angles, and boundaries. These surveying methods are fundamental in construction and civil engineering. Understanding their similarities and differences will help you decide which to invest in and deploy for your projects.

Curbs are necessary for providing barriers, structural support, protecting landscapes, and directing water flow towards drains. Installing a curb is a laborious process, often including skilled laborers working on their hands and knees using guides or boards to ensure the lines are straight and that the reveal is correct. Machines have become available over the years to make the manual process more manageable, and depending on your budget, there are some different options available on the market.

Whether it’s something you’ve read in our blogs or elsewhere, you know that utilizing drones and other technologies are advantageous in executing, managing, and controlling earthmoving projects in today’s fast-paced world. The days of looking at a job site with 2D paper models are mostly behind us. 3D Models, Digital Elevation Models, 3D Point Clouds and Orthophotos are way more common nowadays.

Residential subdivisions have steadily grown in popularity since their development in the 1940s. They require careful and thorough planning. To obtain the required approvals for construction to begin, it is also necessary to gather site plans, topo surveys, diagrams, and any other relevant project data. Included within the site plan is the layout and grading plan for the site, and that’s where we can get involved to assist with your data prep.

Milling machine manufacturers have developed technology that has enabled significant process improvements since the invention of the Roto-Mill in the mid-1970s. The amount of asphalt that a milling machine could cut during, let's say, two hours back in the 1980s compared to today is night and day. If you're still handling your paving jobs without the advanced machine technology, it's time to take your process to the next level, which will save you time and money!

Construction project meetings include stakeholders from many different areas. Meeting participants can range from those with a deep knowledge base like the developer or contractor to individuals from the finance area who are looking at it through a different lens. All perspectives are valuable; however, it can be challenging to effectively facilitate these meetings and ensure that each individual walks away with the information they need to contribute to the project’s success.

In our industry, precision is one of the most fundamental factors to successful project execution. Precise measurements lead to precise calculations, precise calculations lead to precise specifications, and ultimately that all leads to better project outcomes. Being able to calculate accurate local elevation for job sites is essential. However, our planet is not the perfectly round, smooth shape that some think it is. Earth is very bumpy and irregular. This irregular shape is called the geoid.

Depending on which brand of GPS equipment you’re using the file types and therefore file extensions will differ. The reason for this is that the brands each have their proprietary systems with their own file types as opposed to universal ones. For example, have you received files ending in .ttm, .dxf, .csv, .tn3, .ln3, or others and wondered what’s the difference between them?

Trenching and excavating – these top the list as the most hazardous operations in our industry. They cannot be avoided, however, as they play a significant role in civil engineering. Being careless or making mistakes could lead to fatalities among your work crew. So, what can you do to keep your job site and workers in the safest possible conditions?

Geometry is the basis for civil engineering. You may have heard the term TIN when speaking with a civil engineer about a surface model for your project. So, what is this TIN thing you hear them talking about? Basically, it’s a bunch of triangles all joined continuously together at their points (vertices). TINs provide a visual of a topographical surface and are the building blocks for creating 3D surface models of civil works.

Are you wondering how a surface model will work with your heavy equipment? Although it can seem complex, it is simpler than you may think. Some machines already come equipped with the technology and others can be retrofitted with aftermarket technology systems. Either way, the most important thing to understand is that they run off GPS.